“And so, quietly, eyes shut,
babies drop into the world,
like rain falling in the dark
from a gigantic hand into shafts,
into a spider’s tent, a cold apple.”

That’s the opening stanza of Nurit Zarchi’s poem “Baby Blues,” read by host Marcela Sulak in today’s podcast about the Jerusalem-born poet. Zarchi, who now lives in Tel Aviv, is one of Israel’s best-known children’s authors and has published eight collections of poetry, two collections of short stories, and a collection of essays.

Text:
Poets on the Edge. An Anthology of Contemporary Hebrew Poetry. Selected and translated by Tsipi Keller. State University of New York Press, 2008.

All music with lyrics by Nurit Zarchi:
Li-Ron Choir – Yalda Mazleg Ve Yalda Kaf
Shlomo Gronich – Barehov Shelanu
Li-Ron Choir – Shalosh Yeladot Mayim

Producer: Laragh Widdess
Technical producer: Alex Benish